News, observations and reader questions about the Oakland Raiders

April 23, 2013

ALAMEDA - For those looking to spark a Matt Flynn vs. Terrelle Pryor debate heading into organized team activities, you can go ahead and end that chatter.

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said Flynn would begin OTAs as the starting quarterback.

"As we begin the OTA period we're gonna begin with Matt Flynn," McKenzie said at is pre-draft press conference. "Now, the quarterback who will be on the roster from that point on, they will all compete so... and like I said guys, every position it's all about getting players that can play and compete."

This comes as no surprise. McKenzie knows Flynn from his time in Green Bay. McKenzie spoke on what Flynn brings to the Raiders:

"Two things that I feel is important and that's presence as far as leadership and how to move a team down the field and knowing how to do it, he has all the intangibles. I think he can play the position. He can throw the ball and I think he's gonna be a solid quarterback. Now, how good can he be? We'll figure that out but he's got a chance to be a good, solid quarterback. He hasn't played a lot of games so that's what's ahead of him is to see what's ahead of him. He'll get in here, compete, and try to show his team and coaches if he can play. The coaching staff probably doesn't know. I'm probably the guy who knows him best and I feel good that he can play the position."

As for the NFL Draft, McKenzie spoke on the possibilities for the Raiders this weekend. McKenzie said "Yeah" when asked if he knew who the Raiders wanted with the third pick in the draft.

He said the Raiders would take the best player available and that you can't draft for need, especially with a first-round pick.

Here's more from McKenzie:

On weighing whether to use the No. 3 as opposed to trading it and maybe getting back into the second round:

"You know what, it's whichever deal is going to help the Raiders the most and if it's staying there and taking the pick, we'll weigh that versus what's on the floor, what's being offered. In some cases, the offer may be too good to pass up. So, that's going to depend, it really will."

On whether to make a deal once the Raiders are on the clock.

"Well, I'm not going to worry about it. We're picking third and when our time comes we're going to make the best decision for the Raiders. I'm not going to worry too much about what one and two are doing. Of course, they've got first and second choice and we get the third choice. And who they like compared to who we like nobody knows. We'll just sit there and wait, and we're not going to worry about the others."

On relying on the scouts:

"You take into account a whole lot of what the scouts tell you. That's the way I've been taught and that's the way I believe is the right way to do it. You get the input from not only the coaches, but my in-house scouts also, and you're talking about comparing and contrasting, with our own personnel, personnel around the league, to determine the value of the player, what the player can and can't do in this league. You value all information, but the information that the scouts give us, that information is vital."

On having director of college scouting Shaun Herock to work with:

"That's what it is, it's a commonality of it. It's not who can do this and who can do that, because some of the guys that were here last year, they were good. But it's good, the guys I brought on board, there is a common denominator in that we know each other and we know what each other likes. We know the type of player that it would take to not only to win, but to produce at each position. The conversations probably are quicker, trying to get a feel for what Shaun is explaining to me on a particular player, I kind of know the kind of player he likes. From that standpoint, it's easier."

On how the Senior Bowl helped:

"A great deal, a great deal. Any time you get to sit and have dinner with a group of players and watch them play video games and just listen to them fraternize among each other you get to kid around with them and their guard is down. Other than being in a combine setting when they know a million interviews are going on and they'll be on their Ps and Qs. Not saying they weren't on their Ps and Qs at the Senior Bowl but when they're around their teammates you can kind of see a little bit more of the real them. I would do that again in a New York minute if they ask me. But I don't wish to be coaching in the Senior Bowl much. The timing wouldn't be right."

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About Raiders Blog and Q&A

Matt Kawahara was born in Sacramento and attended McClatchy High School and UC Berkeley, where he wrote for the independent student paper The Daily Californian. He graduated from Cal in 2010 and started at The Sacramento Bee as a summer intern. He joined The Bee's sports staff in fall 2011.